The Gospel of John: John 15.1-8

Read and meditate on John 15.1-8.
Jesus came to reveal the glory of God. He was about to accomplish a work that would bring great glory to God. And He instructed His followers to seek the Father’s glory by abiding in Him and bearing much fruit.

                                                  ¹Then He
explained to them, “I am the true vine, and
My Father is the vinedresser. ²Each branch
in Me that bears no fruit, He takes away,
and every fruitful branch He prunes. That way
it bears more fruit. ³And you are clean because
of all my words – my judgments and my laws,
which I have spoken to you. ⁴So remain
in Me, and I in you. As it is plain
no branch can bear fruit of itself, but must
abide within the vine, unless you trust
in Me, abiding in Me, then you too
will bear no fruit. ⁵I am the vine, and you
are branches. Each one who abides in Me,
and I in him, will very fruitful be.
For without Me you can do nothing. ⁶He
who does not trust in and abide in Me,
he is a cast out branch, is withered, and
is gathered for the burning. ⁷But the man
who will abide in Me, and keep My Word
abiding in him, he will ask the Lord
whatever he desires, and it shall be
done for him. ⁸Bear much fruit, and you will be
My true disciples, and will glorify
My Father.”

- John 15.1-8

Reflect
1. Meditate on Matthew 5.13-16, 1 Thessalonians 2.12, and 1 Corinthians 10.31. Glorifying God is why Jesus came (Jn. 1.14), and it’s why He has called us to be His disciples. How can we know when we are glorifying the Father as Jesus and Paul intend? Is glorifying God something we can plan for (cf. Ps. 90.16, 17)? Explain. Complete this prayer: Lord, the better I know You, and the more closely I walk with You each day, the more I will…

2.  We cannot glorify the Father apart from Jesus, for apart from Him we can do nothing. We must continue in Him, so that the life He is (Jn. 14.6) can flow to, within, and through us to others. How would you explain to a new believer what it means to continue or to abide in Jesus? How can we sustain this throughout the day? What can we expect if we don’t? Lord, guard and shield me from anything that might…

3.  Christians are a work in progress. To bear much fruit we must not only continue in Jesus, but we must be pruned by our heavenly Father. How can you know when the Father is “pruning” you as one of the branches in His Vine? What is the Holy Spirit’s role in this (Jn. 16.8-11)? What is your role in that pruning process? Lord, show me where I need to be pruned, then help me…

4.  Prayer is important to living fruitfully for the Lord. How should the goal of bearing much fruit and glorifying the Father guide our prayers? How can we engage in prayer to aid us in realizing that goal? What is the relationship between prayer and continuing or abiding in Jesus? I don’t know how to pray as I should, Lord! Help me as I…

5. Imagine that you are sharing the Gospel with a friend, and your friend seems interested in professing faith in Christ. You need to make sure your friend understands what it means to follow Jesus, because merely expressing faith in Him is but the starting point. Unless we intend a life of following Jesus, our profession of faith in Him will be useless. How would you explain what it means to follow Jesus to your friend? Bring together into one prayer the prayers you composed for questions 1-4.

Summary
“Let them praise you who behold you, and let them admire the marshaled bands of the church like the serried rows of vine branches. Let everyone among the faithful gaze on the gems of the soul. Let them find delight in the maturity of prudence, in the splendor of faith, in the charm of Christian affirmation, in the beauty of justice, in the fecundity of pity, so that it may be said of you, ‘Your wife is a fruitful vine on the sides of your house,’ because you imitate by the exercise of your abundant and generous giving the bountiful return of a fruit-bearing vine.” Ambrose of Milan (333-397 AD)

To believe in Jesus is more than just to affirm His work, give assent to His claims, or agree with His teachings. It is to receive Him into our lives, and to enter His (Jn. 1.12). To believe in Jesus is to abide in Him, to bear much fruit by Him, and to glorify the Father in Him. These are the defining aspects of the life of faith. How well do they define your faith in Jesus?

Closing Prayer
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard.
My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the LORD.
Let your heart live forever!
All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You.
For the kingdom is the LORD’s,
And He rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
All those who go down to the dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep himself alive.
A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,
That He has done this.

Psalm 22.23-31

Psalm 22.29-31 (Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
All the prosp’rous of the earth shall before His mercy fall;
Bending low before His worth, hear them humbly on Him call.
Even those low in the grave He will by His mercy save.

Let the generations all witness to His saving grace;
Let them to all nations call, “Bow before His holy face!”
Let the children of the earth hear of Jesus’ saving worth!

T. M. Moore
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.